


Take your Angus to work day!

by Boomjob



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Dad taako and kravitz, F/M, M/M, Mystery, Not gonna be an angst train i swear, Rated T for swearing, and adopted the domestic lifestyle because taako deserves stability for once in his life, but like thats basically the mood for all adventure zone stuff, good ol fashion father/son bonding through reaping, magic boy ango mcdango, post s&s, really fucking OP angus, they've adopted angus basically, updates Mon/Wed/Fri
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-15
Updated: 2018-02-13
Packaged: 2019-03-05 08:44:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 13,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13384251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Boomjob/pseuds/Boomjob
Summary: Angus gets to visit the realm of the reapers on his day with Kravitz. Just a laid back trip, full of tours and questions and Kravitz bragging about his son. Raven Queen, sensing a sudden spike of magical energy in her offices, decides to let Angus "out in the field" for some "totally safe small time reaping" to get the "full tour."If Taako heard any of what was happening, Kravitz would be SO double-dead.





	1. You're gonna be late!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This partially stemmed from the taz fic discord after the exhaustion of the 3 hour fic wonderland game. Angus is a good boy and deserves the world. The only tw I should mention is like, mild violence (really just similar to how they fight in d&d), swearing, but like thats it

“You have your jacket?”

“Yes, the one with the pockets!”

“Wand?”

“Right here!”

“Your bag?”

“Check!”

“Snacks?”

“Some water, carrot sticks, cucumbers and a small packet of ketchup!”

“God, you get your weird food thing from your uncle Barry. Should have never let you sit near him at the table on that one visit. Okay kiddo,” Taako looked Angus up and down. He had on his Raven Queen headquarter-appropriate outfit, head to toe in a formal black suit with a small red bow-tie accent. Holding his small yellow wand with a star on the end, he was possibly the cutest looking little goth-ish kid this side of Faerun. “You look ready to go.”

“Oh and Angus, dear, don’t forget a book. I’m not sure if I’ll get caught in a meeting today, but if luck serves us well we’ll have the day to ourselves.” Kravitz came out from the bedroom, busy trying to button his cuff. In a similar suit, Kravitz and Angus matched with the only difference being Kravitz’s long red tie and lack of round glasses.

“Caleb Cleveland volume 15, ‘Mike Montana and the Muskrat Mishap,’ one of the best.”

“Have we read that one yet?”

“I figured that if you were in a meeting I could read some and summarize what I read to you during lunch!”

“Guys that sounds lovely,” Taako cuts in, “And as much as it pains me to see my boys go, I _do_ have to tell you that if you don’t haul your asses out of here soon you _will_ be late. Now get out of my kitchen.” Taako bent down to Angus, eye level with him. “But first, pumpkin why don't you go wash your hands? Remember the lesson Auntie Lup gave us about germs from people passing through the portals?”

“Oh, right!” He clumsily ran to the bathroom down the hall, Caleb Cleveland backpack bobbing behind him.

Taako turned to his husband, face suddenly serious. “Kravitz, if _anything_ goes wrong, you tell me immediately, got it? My stone of farspeech is locked into yours so hard it might as well be up your ass.”

“Honey it’ll be _fine,_ it’s just a tour of the complex where I get to brag about our incredibly intelligent son.”

“Kravitz Taaco, that is my boy going with you.”

Kravitz cupped Taako’s chin, “I would never let harm come to him.” He stepped away towards the tall mirror. “Plus, I get to show _David_ my matching-suit smart child.”

“Oh, _fuck_ David. That’s the guy with the…?” He made a motion drawing a line down the front of his face.

“Yeah, that’s him. He’s also a, you know…” Kravitz made his own motion by pointing his finger and swirling a tiny circle in the air.

“Krav I don’t, what are you doing?”

“You know, a total asshole.”

The wizard couldn’t help but laugh, and any lingering doubt about the trip melted away. Kravitz was the Raven Queen’s right hand man after a great promotion, he had no reason for petty rivalries. Seeing them through Kravitz, as if anyone could even pretend to compete with the reaper, was hysterical.

“Okay I’m ready!”

“Shoelaces, Ango.”

Angus nearly lost his glasses whipping his head down to look at his feet. One muffled ‘shoot’ and two tied shoes later and they were ready to leave.

Taako handed Kravitz his briefcase and stood on his tiptoes to plant a kiss on the reapers cheek. “Don’t forget your briefcase, Jack Skellington. As for _you,_ ” Taako scooped Angus up under the armpits and squeezed. “Have fun with the Big Scary Bird, okay?"

“Taako, don’t call the Raven Qu-“

“The world almost ended two summers ago and you want me to be worried of Aunt Raven? C’mon!” He squirmed in Taakos grasp playfully trying to get down, but Taako held firm, even lifting him Lion King style in the air.

“I’m serious! Have fun, but stay together, okay?”

“You’re going to wrinkle my nice reaper suit, dad!” Angus giggled. Oof, Taako’s one weakness. The ‘d’ word. _There’s two d word weaknesses he has,_ Taako thought. Sick. Looking once more at his lovely husband, he smiled at Angus and plopped him back on solid earth.

“Okay my reapers, have fun and try to be back before dinner!” He flicked at the little boy's nose playfully.

Kravitz checked his pocket watch. 7:59 AM. “You remember that time can get a little strange at RQ HQ, right? I’ll try to stay on schedule, of course.”

“Yeah yeah, I’ll make something cold for a meal so it won’t have to be fantasy microwaved. Now _please,_ RQ will accuse me of naughty morning things again if you’re not on time and I _really_ don’t want to lose her as a gay brunch friend.”

“Okay, okay.” Kravitz willed his scythe into existence with a flash of red and a cool wind. He gave a second to let the room settle, watching Angus practically vibrate with energy. “You ready?”

Angus nodded vigorously, clutching his back pack straps and bouncing his knees as he stood. Kravitz nodded back.

Taking a deep breathe, Kravitz pushed a gust of air around the scythe as he motioned for Angus to step back. After he was safely tucked away, Kravitz wound the scythe back and baseball swung it out in front of him. Keeping the momentum, he baton twirled the scythe a few rounds before grabbing with both hands and chopping down to create a large plus sized gash in space.

 _Dramatic._ He only needed one cut down the center, Taako thought, what a show off. Good thing he was pretty. Either way, Angus seemed to love it. He gently stomped his feet on the ground in anticipation, smile wide, as Kravitz finished the cut, opening a gateway to the Raven Queen’s headquarters.

He picked his briefcase back up and rested the scythe in his hand. “Angus, you remember how to behave in there?”

“Donttouchanythingdontyelldontasklotsofquestionsstaywithdad YES.”

“Well,” Kravitz said, “he got them all right, at least.” Taako gave a smile. “Let’s go!”

Both boys walked into the portal, swallowing them into the black marble fortress of the death goddesses domain. As the seams between worlds zipped shut, Taako tried to take in every last drop of them, every bit of visual before the doorway closed, and the house was silent.

“Love you, have fun.”

Lup would laugh at his domesticity. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for reading! It's a small idea for now, but Kravitz and Ango deserve to have that dynamic explored much more.


	2. Find it, Barry!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the Raven Queens Head Quarters, or RQ HQ!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the first chapter of this came from a sudden spike in inspiration after the tfw discord's game of "fic wonderland." Well this one comes from spite, cuz i got decapitated, and currently stuck in wonderland, "unable to write." Miss me with that shit, take some cute Angus and pining Raven queen if u look hard enough.

Dark marble pillars tower up to the dark, unseeable ceiling. Black clouds swirled up, blocking any view of the upper floors. The large entry room was open as usual, with a few black leather couches surrounding a small sitting area. A large ornate red trimmed rug perfectly covered the area of space that dipped down in the floor, while ravens perched themselves everywhere, a few flying by with letters clutched in their beaks, some sitting with workers as they list instructions to them. 

Angus, as Kravitz looked back after realizing he’d lost him, was standing glued to the spot gawking at the sight. If he didn’t close his mouth soon a raven would probably try to feed him a worm. 

He couldn’t help but feel proud of his job. “Angus? Would you like to join me?”

Like a switch, Angus realized this was all real. Kravitz watched him string through the emotions of awe, excitement, then to surprise and polite concern as his face contorted finally to a meek expression. He quietly gestured for Kravitz to bend down. Chuckling lightly, he did as was asked.

Angus whispered in his ear, “U-um, do I have to, uh... should I call you ‘sir’ at work?”

Kravitz just barely suppressed a laugh before composing himself. “Well,” he whispered back, “what do  _ you _ think?”

“Um,” he paused, pushing his glasses up his nose. “Well,  _ usually _ I get to call you dad at home…”

“Yes, that’s right...” Kravitz answered.

“...But  _ before, _ I just called you Kravitz, or sir in formal settings.” He knit his brow as he thought.

“That you did.”

“But,” he continued, “Today is ‘Bring your kid to work day.’”

“Yes…” Kravitz loved it when Angus deduced something so small. But if it’s what makes him comfortable, then he was in no position to stop him.

“Therefore, it can be assumed that as the child, I am the ‘your kid’ as said in ‘take your kid to work day’.” He paused again, looking to Kravitz. With an encouraging nod from the reaper, Angus said, “And as your kid, that means you’re my dad! So, ‘dad’ is appropriate…?”

“I’d say you’re right!” Kravitz tousled his hair, making sure not to smudge his glasses in the process. “Now, would you like to see my office?”

“Yes!!” He hugged onto Kravitz’s arm for a brief second before asking a whirlwind of questions regarding the type of woods used and the clouds on the ceiling.

High above the clouds, past the sound and magical barriers was a dark throne room. The Raven Queen sat on the tall pedestal, fiddling with her new black stone of farspeech she used to chat with Istus. Her legs were slung over the sides with the stone reading “read at 7:36 AM.” 

Like a spike of electricity shooting through her temple, a sudden magical entity off the charts for its supposed size showed up at her HQ. Sitting up in her throne with a dull throbbing headache, she tried sensing who it was, but couldn't get a good track on their magical signal output. Squirming in her seat, it felt like the magic bloomed out from the source, tiny and concentrated, with sprawling tendrils of energy everywhere. 

Frantic yet sluggish, she tried sensing the closest magic signature to her for help. One was passing right in front of the hall of her door. Quickly, she called out to them. 

“Whoever is outside, come in at once!”

A pause, no footsteps. Then slowly, the large black double-doors cracked open. “Uh are you alright?”

“Oh, Barry, you’ll be useful in this.” She gripped her head and grit her teeth.

He lunged into the room seeing her in pain. “Shit, should I call someone?” 

“No, I’ll get used to it in a moment, I’ve never had something so strong pass through that quickly.” He looked quizzical, so she continued. “Is there anyone new in the astral plane offices today?”

“Raven, its take your kid to work day, there’s loads of children here.”

“...Shit, that was scheduled for today, wasn’t it?”

“Yes my queen,” he chuckled. When she seemed to be doing better, he chanced a question. “Why, is there something wrong?”

She took a deep breathe. “I just picked up a huge magical signal, one I didn’t recognize. Not just a kid with a magic bloodline, few pieces of glitter in the stream, someone,  _ something _ stronger than... than a lich. A  _ lot _ stronger.” She took a deep look at Barry. “I consider you and your wife to be some of the strongest beings in this organization. But raw power such as this would be enough to wipe this place clean out.”

He swallowed hard. Something stronger than a being made of pure magical energy? Barry thought about all the yoga he did to keep his emotions in check, all he and Lup did to make sure they could still manage to fundamentally live while this powerful and yet this thing was walking around casually on base without difficulty?

“I need you to find it.” She thought for a second. “Quietly.” Oh, that part was a little bit harder. He sure as hell could try. “Figure out what it is first, and only engage if people are in immediate trouble.”

Barry considered this. With a sigh, he knew what he had to do. “Okay. which way did the signature head?”

“The West wing. I’ll keep my stone on for you.”

With a polite nod and the raven salute, he left.

Hearing the steps patter away, she slumped back in her chair again, barely able to track the energy without some sort of pain. She needed some goddamn astral advil. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want everyone to know I have in fact read stuff about the astral plane and raven queen, official stuff. Its now packed pretty far back in my head untouched for this fic. My city now. No rules just right.


	3. Keeping up with the coworkers!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angus is always ready to impress at the drop of a hat. Not really, but he's a good wing man that can read a situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been trying to keep these chapters kind of short? Mostly because theyre kind of like my warm-up ish to type them. Also its kind of fun being able to put something out so quickly! Last chapter I think was just shy of 1k, so this is a couple hundred extra ^^ Enjoy more of everyone's favorite detective!

“...So the marble acts not only as a spiritual barrier and a solid surface the dead can interact with, but it looks great.”

“Is that why it’s pretty cold in here, too? All the marble?”

Kravitz slowed his walk to look at the boy. “Angus,” he said, “Did you forget to put your thermal on?”

“...Is that what the longsleeve shirt on my bed was?”

Kravitz chuckled. “Well, at lunch maybe we can pop back home for a second to grab it for you if it gets too cold.”

“...Sorry, dad.”

“Don’t apologize to me, you’re the one that’ll turn into a mortal-cicle, a little boy-detective freeze-pop.” 

He giggled as Kravitz continued his pace. “Pfft, it’s not  _ that _ cold. Plus, ada (*) taught me a cold-resistance spell last week!”

“Oh did he?” Taako had kept up with their magical lessons, and he’d slowly been gaining more and more spells. Kravitz thought it was a little dangerous after seeing him perform a sixth level spell accidentally.

“ _ Accidentally? What do you mean accidentally?” _

_ “Krav baby, I’m telling you, I watched him effortlessly help Merle plow an entire field using ‘Move Earth.’ I don’t know if he knows how strong that is.” _

He thought for a second.  _ “Well what are we-” _

_ “I’m so proud of my boy, did you see he put a star on the end of his wand?” _

_ “Taako, Angus is-” _

_ “He’s so good, way better than I was at his age. I was throwing rocks at Lup with magic, not stuff like this.”  _ He gestured to the field where Angus was helping Merle sort the pumpkin seeds into little piles.

“ _ Taako-” _

_ “Kravitz,”  _ he looked at his husband finally, serious, his brow firm. “ _ We’re not going to tell him. He can find out on his own. For now, he still looks up to us for stability. If we overwhelm him, he, he  might never recover. I don’t want to dump that on him. He’s smart, if he wants to question it, he will.”  _ He paused, expression softening.  _ “For now… For now, we’ll just teach him how to not hurt himself.” _

Kravitz looked at his son. His son, powerful as he is, is just a child. A child currently doing a horrible job masking his shivers. “Well, we made it.”

They stood in front of Kravitz’s office, bigger than most of the other offices and vastly different from the cubicles. People mingled in the hallway, some walking with their own guests, others greeting each other.

“Kravitz! So good to see you,” A grating voice called out. Kravitz just barely held in a groan. Shoulders slouched and heaving a sigh, he looked to the source. “And who is this little one?”

Kravitz put up a fake smile, eyes tired. He really wished this interaction would have happened  _ after  _ lunch. “Hi  _ David,  _ good to see you. This is my boy, Angus.”

“Hello sir, it’s nice to meet you!” Angus smiled genuinely.

“Anyway, this is Archibald, my great-great-great grandchild!” he said, completely ignoring Angus. Archibald had large square glasses in front of eyeliner-heavy eyes. A mop of curly red hair matched his red bowtie and complimented his black button down. 

Angus glanced at the boy. “Oh hey, I like your book! You like Suzy Seattle? I’ve read a few of those! What’s your favorite?”

Archibald stared at Angus, before smirking wickedly. “Yeah, Suzy Seattle is my favorite!  _ Way _ better than those baby books  _ Caleb Cleveland.” _

Angus was taken aback, glancing slowly at his bookbag. “Oh, Archibald reads  _ really difficult books, _ ” David cut in, patting the boys head. “He’s so smart, he even skipped a grade. Isn’t that right, Archie?”

“Sure is!” He smiled that same twisted way that looked more like he was watching ants burn instead of having a conversation. 

Kravitz had had enough. “Hey, Angus? We should probably get going. I don’t want you to be late or miss anything from the tour. How was your schedule after today’s visit looking, anyway?”

Angus paused, searching his father’s face, before like a lightbulb it clicked. Oh, he could play this game, too. He smiled sweetly. “Well, I got a substitute for my class at ada’s school, and night classes for Lucas only meet on Thursdays.” Angus side-eyed David and Archibald quickly. “So I don’t have any magic or forensic science classes to _ teach _ today!”

“Great! Hey Ango?”

“Yeah?”

“What’s 72 times 91?”

“6,552.” He pushed his glasses up.

“55 times 429?”

“Lets see…” He stuck out a few fingers and poked out his tongue. “23,595.”

“Last one,” he kept direct eye contact with David, “299 divided by 4?”

“That’s… 74.25? No, 74.75. Why?”

“I couldn’t remember, thank you.” He smiled. “Now, do you wanna see my room?”

“Yeah!” Angus leaped as Kravitz opened the door for him. Right before it closed, a small black shoe stopped the door from closing and Angus popped his head out again. “By the way, Caleb Cleveland has deep plot and moving stories that would be overwhelmingly flimsy in the hands of the Suzy Seattle author. Quality over quantity.” Then, he pointed two fingers at his own eyes, and flipped it to point at Archibald while holding a hard squint. The door clicked shut as Angus slipped back inside, leaving the two outside stunned.

They stood side by side in the room silently. This was usually the part where Angus would gawk at the room, but he was quiet.

“Who  _ were _ those guys?” Angus practically whispered.

Kravitz pinched the bridge of his nose. “That…” He couldn’t figure out how to tread lightly. “That was David. My coworker.” He moved to grip one of the guest seats he keeps, a dark wood chair with a black cushion. On the dark carpet, it seemed to melt into the floor. 

Angus clung to every word, trying to deduce the most worthwhile questions. “Who was… Who was that  _ really, _ though?” 

Kravitz sat in his black office chair behind the desk, looking tired. “David was… hm. David was the man I beat for my reaper position. You know how there are lots of reapers, right? Like auntie Lup and uncle Barry?” Kravitz picked at his fingernails. “Well, not everyone walks into those positions like they did.”

“Because they’re both liches?”

“Yes, but more importantly because they’re not only powerful, but helpful, and especially, they're kind. They’re not like most liches, and although what they did was wrong under most circumstances… They did it so the crew your ada was on could live in case something went wrong in the years before they came here.” 

Angus nodded. He was clever enough to understand most moral complexities when he saw one. He quietly opened his backpack, the light zipping noise breaking the silence as he took out his bag of carrots and held it out over the desk in offering.

Kravitz eyed the bag, smirking before decidedly taking one. It was small, but the boy offered all he had. Despite only being carrots sticks for comfort, it was well appreciated. 

“Hey dad?’

“Yeah?”

“You know bragging isn’t nice, right?”

Kravitz soberly chuckled in his seat. “Yeah, I know.”

Angus continued, “That being said,” he smiled. “They weren’t very nice, either, were they?” He giggled, grabbing a carrot stick for himself and crossing his legs on the guest chair.

At that, Kravitz really couldn’t hold back his laughter. He wasn’t wrong, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (*) I looked up the elvish translation for Dad/father and its "ada" and if that's not the cutest thing ever for Angus to call Taako then i don't really know what is
> 
> Angus is a powerful boy, a good powerful boy. Barry u better come get ur nephew.
> 
> Chat me up on tumblr! https://boomjob.tumblr.com/


	4. Seeing stars!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry has to find this entity, but how can you even detect magic in a place drenched and stitched with arcane power?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has slowly spiraled out of/into my control if that makes sense. This started as a sort of warm up but legit, ive enjoyed being able to put out content that people seem to enjoy, and put it out at a fast rate! Thank you guys for all the lovely comments! Please enjoy an overwhelmed Barry and a very tall Boy Mecha

Workers with kids passed by, some with family members and others with the closest member they could call family in their undead state. It raised morale in the HQ to have days like this. 

Generations of people were here, some with grandkids, others with the kids of their long passed close friend. Anybody that brought joy to their lives while living. Though, it was recommended to bring children, as per the “bring your kid” traditional part. But who were they to judge who was a kid and who wasn’t? Friends and family of all ages came, as long as it was only a plus 1 per person, andthe guest was living.

Barry, now slightly sweaty, pushed through all of them. In retrospect, there were a lot more people than he thought would show. Of course there would be, that would make his mission hard and nothing in this damn plane was easy.  

More and more people showed up for work, clogging the halls full of formal black suits. The West wing was comprised mostly of field workers, people that saw mortals the most. The more workers with mortal connections, the more visitors. Translation: The West wing was positively swamped. More chances for fucking this up.

What could he even look for? Some sort of eldritch horror beast? Some of those worked in accounting. Ted was a nice guy and not at all that type of powerful being, despite his many writhing tentacles and slimy eyes. Barry was wearing denim despite the dress code, who was he to judge.

The room opened up, the wide hallway ending in a large office space with a maze of cubicles. Races of all kinds showed others around, with some booths set up here and there hosted by people answering questions. Friends chatted, people laughed, shitty water cooler paper cups were crushed on the ground. The usual smell of paper and ink was gone, in its place baked goods of all kinds shared on napkins. 

It was way too much. Way, way too much. ‘Way way too much’ levels of too much require plans. He pounded his scythe into the ground in part mild annoyance, part needing to lean on something like a big stick. He scanned the room, hoping for any obvious signs and finding none. As long as the place wasn’t in shambles and nobody was hurt, there was still a chance of finding it calmly.

The only useful spell in this situation he could think of was Detect Magic. He closed his eyes, focusing on the aura of those around him. Channeling his own energy, breathing calmly, slowly slipping into a state of understanding, before someone stepped on his foot. The lights flashed as he opened his eyes with the rude awakening, his concentration cracked, and the room spun. Desperately searching for a way to relieve the sudden headrush inflicted by the commotion, he slid through the crowd to the wall lined with offices, opening the door to the first one he found.

A heavy clunk and the door was closed, frosted glass blurring any vision outside. He whacked at the light switch to stop his headache from pounding before sliding down the wall in a now dark room.

It was quiet, the traffic outside fading. Less and less stars crowded his eyes as he came down from the horrible consequences of disrupting the spell. 

Well that was fucking useless.

“Um, uncle Barry? Are you alright?”

Barry’s eyes winked open, vision still fuzzy as he sat collapsed on the floor. In the dark room sat Kravitz in his office chair, Angus sitting on his shoulders, working the reapers dreads into an updo resembling a christmas present bow. It was impressive, actually. Definitely a Taako talent. 

He rubbed his eyes, counting his lucky stars he just happened to stumble into this room in particular. “Can I chill in here for a second?”

“Of course, Barry.” Kravitz moved to get up and help (while Angus gripped his forehead tightly), but Barry motioned to show he was fine. Standing first, he left his scythe on the floor and brought himself instead to the chair across from the Kravitz/Angus voltron combo on the other side of the desk. “Is everything alright?”

Barry drank the question in. “Yeah, ‘m feeling better now. Just, a lot happening out there.” His eyes trailed up to the towering form of the usually little boy, smirking. “What are you doing up there, kiddo?”

“Learning about the Dessous case!” He beamed, shifting on his shoulder throne. Barry couldn’t help noticing Angus had taken his shoes off.

“Oh, and what have you been told?” Barry looked up at him, asking.

Kravitz cut in, “The basics of how a case gets to us, and where it goes after. However, this one was a bit special, huh Ango?” Kravitz looked up without moving his head, still feeling small hands pick away at his locks.

“Yeah! The case of a necromancer that achieved immortality! Dad told it to me as if it was a mystery story to figure out. So it starts in the Research department?” Angus lurched sideways to look his father in the eye. God, Kravitz must have had incredible core strength to hold his posture.

“Right, then after they find out as much information on the subject as they can, it goes too…?” Kravitz watched Angus think about the steps.

His face scrunched up in thought. “...I don’t remember the name of the position, but I  _ do _ remember her name was Axilya that got the info from the researchers in the story!”

“It begins with an ‘R’...” Barry offered. Of course, as soon as he heard Axilya he knew the story. 

“The Reconnaissance team!” he shouted, again swinging around worse than an earthquake shaken jenga tower. 

“Right!” Kravitz said excitedly, holding up a guardrail hand for the boy to lean into above his head. “Then the field workers, or “Reconnaissance,” go out for information not in our own databases, and only after every drop of information is possibly found…”

“The Reaper Squad!” he clutched Kravitz’s head again, careful around his hair masterpiece.

Barry laughed. “The three R’s, controlling the situation  _ pre _ -mortem.” 

The three laughed together. As the moment died away, Barry soberly remembered what brought him here. He looked at Kravitz and Angus, both laughing to themselves. Angus, just a kid, in the HQ with something secretly lurking around with the potential to obliterate them. Something strong enough to scare even the Raven Queen, deity of death. He swallowed hard, feeling the stars in his eyes again.

He knew he had to find it.

“Hey, can you guys keep a secret?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So since i've now somehow come up with how this story will continue and how it will end, i should point out that almost none of this is just cute filler. Surprise, this story will actually have a plot now, who knew (not me). 
> 
> Thank you guys so much for reading, i think I'm going to try and keep the schedule of posting close to every two days!


	5. Secret's out!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barry finally comes clean about his secret mission, but Kravitz has a sick feeling about this...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow remember that time i said i love posting this like every two days, then promptly spent 5 days working through a writers block the size of the great wall of china? AND put this off to write a goddamn Starblaster!upsy au fic?? haha yeah good times. Anyway, this is a bit more over 1k to apologize for that... Don't worry, gonna swing back into this one full speed!

Lup knew when something was wrong with Barry. Part of grounding yourself to reality with another person can be helpful that way. In this case, it told her that her man was feelin’ real fucked up. She was just going to go get a snack from the vending machine when her heart started racing, her chest ached, and she had to sit down. The lights swam above her as her vision, usually sharp and clear, was fogged. Something was up.

Willing her scythe to her and pounding through the sudden dump of anxiety, the headrush clouded her thoughts with pain until the only thing she could think of was how to keep going. Gripping the wall as she stumbled, her scythe became a cane until she found a handrail. After what felt like hours of blind running, her head cleared enough to see as she made it out of the East wing and into the main entryway. She didn’t know where exactly he was, but she could feel him like a magnetic pull. 

Lup checked her pulse, stopping at the main desk. She focused on movement, seeing those around her. Calming herself, she then focused on each person’s energy for anything that felt right, instinctually drawing her, pushing her like the tide. 

She ran into the West wing. Kravitz’s office, of course it was Krav’s office, Barry wouldn’t go somewhere he wasn’t comfortable. 

The door flung open as Barry was finishing a thought, “-keep a secret?”

The wooden door gave a heavy  _ thunk  _ against the office wall, suddenly feeling three sets of eyes on her. Lup took inventory, first to count was her husband.

“Babe what’s wrong?!” She shouted unintentionally. He clearly looked fine, but you can’t go through something like that and not feel the need to shout.

“Oh, hi hun, sorry… that probably scared you, huh?” He stood up from his chair. No blood, nothing broken and no torn clothes, things to check off the worry-checklist. He did a good job of hiding his spike of a headache from standing. Unfortunately, Lup felt it, too.

Knowing Barry was fine for the most part eased her nerves. She took his hand and gave a good squeeze, finally surveying the rest of the room. “Oh, hey Krav, nice carrot sticks.”

She looked above him to the top of this apparent boy tower and found the star. “Hey, what’s up kids meal?”

“Fruit Lup!” Angus smiled wide, waving his small star-tipped wand as a hello.

Kravitz cleared his throat. Angus, remembering his dad, peered down. With a look, the  _ are you forgetting something?  _ parent look, Angus quickly added “ _ Auntie _ Fruit Lup.”

Well, it was a start.

She shot him a finger pistol, to which he pretended to get hit by.  Lup turned her concern back to Barry. “So what happened, what’s wrong?”

He smiled sheepishly. He was about to hide something. That was his  _ everything is fine except when it isn’t  _ smile. Then, Lup watched as the smile melted away. His look of concern spread slowly, until finally landing on resignation.

Barry grappled with telling the room his mission given by RQ. He loved Lup and wanted nothing more than to protect her from the potential danger. All of them, Kravitz and Angus, too. He sighed, accepting the consequences that came with breaking the rules of a ‘secret mission.’ If anything, these two would be the ones he’d want to know the details. They were the big three, the top spot reaper squad, inseparable. 

“Okay, okay, here’s the deal.” He ushered Lup to sit down in the guest chair. She did, following his tired eyes. “RQ sensed something… powerful enter HQ this morning.” Lup gasped. “The problem is,  _ a lot  _ of things entered HQ this morning. I… Raven Queen told me to find it secretly. But there’s too many magical entities on the base to find out which one is the problem, and Raven is  _ positive  _ it’s in this wing.” He paused, promising himself in the moment to not hide anything from them. “Lup, you... probably felt my detect magic spell going wrong. Too much commotion threw me off a bit, sorry for the scare.”

“Oh Barry, I’m so sorry you went through that… You should have called me, I could have helped! Either of us could have, RQ would have understood…” Lup stood, squeezing his hand.

Kravitz knew he shouldn’t be panicking, but he had a  _ pretty good guess _ where the ‘powerful being’ was.

“So,” Angus piped in, spooking Kravitz, “you need a... detective to help find this being?” He gave a kiddish smirk in excitement.

“ _ No,”  _ Barry said, with a bit more acidity than intended. “No. Angus, I know you want to help, but…”  _ I would never forgive myself if something happened to you,  _ “you’re a mortal. I’m not even sure you’d be able to do much in the astral plane.” The boy detective deflated a bit, a dejected look painted by sadness in his eyes. Barry’s heart broke, but he knew what was right. “Kravitz, I want you to take him home. We can’t make a mass rush to evacuate, I’m afraid the entity might run with everyone else.”

Kravitz swallowed  _ hard. _ “Dad? Are you alright? You’re neck is getting sweaty.”

He popped back out of his deep thought and remembered his powerful being on his shoulder.  _ I have a feeling I’m about to help Barry out in more ways than one _ . “Yeah kiddo, just a bit nervous. When Raven Queen gets nervous, it’s worth it to take on the same disposition. We’re gonna head home I think. I’ll drop you off to ada, he should still be home.” Kravitz began to lift the boy off his shoulders, the words of his husband ringing in his ears about if anything goes wrong.

Angus wasn’t done though, he couldn’t give up, his brain racing a mile a minute as he tried to plan any way possible to help, to stay, to be useful. “Wait!” he called, halfway to the floor still in Kravitz’s hands. “Can I see Auntie Raven first?”

Oh, so  _ now  _ he remembers to say Auntie. Lup cooed at Angus’s title for her boss and the literal goddess of death. Barry considered the idea, knowing the danger. But five minutes wouldn’t be bad. 

“O-oh no, Angus, you heard uncle Barry and how dangerous it is out there…” Kravitz could feel his voice cracking, hiding fear behind his immaculate suit presentation and posture instead. As he held out his hand to bring his scythe to him, Lup interjected.

“Now wait, we could always escort him? You might as well give a small report anyway, babe, maybe ask while we’re there if I can help, too?”

Saying just how bad of an idea that would be would blow Krav’s cover. Way too many explanations just for bring your kid to work day. As the arithmetic of the delicate situation threaded through his thoughts, Angus took the opportunity to voice his opinion.

“Pleeaaase? I’ve never seen auntie’s office, I’m so excited!” He was  _ also _ excited to pitch his helpfulness to his aunt about the monster search, but his dad didn’t need to know that. He’d beg to see her just to gain her audience.

“C’mon Krav, how could you say no to that face?” Lup pleaded. “We’re already going there anyway it seems, come along for the ride before you go and the place gets rowdy.”

He knew it would be bad. He knew  _ something  _ would happen, but… God. Fuck it, he would protect his son. Nothing bad would happen, he vowed. 

“Alright-” Angus whooped. “We can go see her, but we’re leaving  _ right after.  _ Grab your bag, Ango.” He jumped, slinging it over his shoulder and brandishing his wand with a battle face. “Let’s go see Auntie.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yooooo thanks for sticking along for the ride! Follow me at https://boomjob.tumblr.com/
> 
> Thanks for reading! Chat me up in the comments, love yall


	6. I can help!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They've made it to the raven queen! But what happens to little boys when a goddess of death feels fear?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys have been so incredibly kind! Personally, i love writing this story, and every kind comment is so heartwarming to read. Here, I finished this almost minutes after posting chapter 5, and ive been really excited to put it up! Thanks for reading!

_Deep breaths Krav. It’s fine. The Raven Queen will understand. We’ll just pop in, no fuss, and leave._ Kravitz talked himself through the potential messes leading up to this visit. The hardest realization he suffered was… If it went south, if it went _really_ sour out of some strange, astronomically small chance… Kravitz would protect his son until his last undead breath.

As soon as he jumped that moral hurdle, everything else seemed easy in retrospect.

“Don’t worry Krav, we’ll get him outta here before anything bad happens,” Lup reassured him, unintentionally contradicting herself in thinking the ‘danger’ wasn’t the little boy wearing a Caleb Cleveland backpack holding her hand.

“Yeah! Plus, I’ve got my wand if something goes wrong!” Angus chimed in.

“Sorry little one, that’s the wrong answer.” A head tilt from Angus, and Lup explained. “The _correct_ response is, ‘aunt Lup and uncle Barry are badasses with really big sharp sticks, and are very good at escorting people. I, Angus McDonald-Taaco, will not fight in this because I love you.’”

Angus knew he could help, but now was apparently not the time to voice that. He knew he had to head to the top, and aunt Raven would hear him out. He still laughed at his aunt’s answer, though.

They finally came to the large doorway above the clouds. It took a bit of coaxing to show Angus the floor was solid despite it’s cloud-like appearance, and Kravitz silently resented RQ’s aesthetic sense for scaring his son. Of course, as soon as he realized it was safe, he fired questions like bullets. They waited patiently outside.

The Raven Queen had felt them coming. She recognized the magical energy as the same waves she picked up this morning, with enough juice to power all of Faerun. Seeing as it wasn’t bound or being dragged, it must have come quietly. She felt the dull throb of her headache gain in intensity with every step outside of her office it took, moved by not only her trusted one lich, but her _entire_ _top reaper squad._ Something this strong required all three of them? Or worse, she realized… the three didn’t know they were being followed. She shivered at the thought. Slowly feeling her head pound with each step of this creature, she poised herself on her throne, ready to contain it. Slowly, they came to a stop in front of her door.

“Enter,” she called, hands raised and ready for a spell.

Kravitz was the one to push the doors open, forcing both dramatically open. As soon as they all passed into the threshold of her throne room, it was quiet. She struck quickly.

Angus was swallowed up in an opalescent bubble, transparent and shimmering mostly light pink. The other three jumped, Kravitz close to a heart attack as they all yelled.

Unsqueezing his eyes, Angus looked at his surroundings, but nothing happened. He tapped the inside of the sphere with his wand in a far extended arm, hearing a small _dink._ He tried talking to Kravitz, "What's going on?"

Kravitz, close to passing out from the scare, looked at Angus as he mouthed words he couldn’t hear.

“Whoa Raven, what’re you doing??” Barry called, “It’s us!”

The most surprised award in the room went to the Raven Queen, arms out after casting one of the most dense and complicated shield spells ever on a little kid. Angus, of all kids, the one she gave a toy scythe to just this last candlenights. However, her headache was dulled immensely, so really it was still a win.

“Sorry, I… didn’t recognize him coming up the stairs through his energy alone….” But… that meant… Wait a minute, Angus?

“Can you let him out, then? He just wanted to say hello before Kravitz brought him home to avoid potential chaos...” Lup said.

She had to think quickly though foggy thoughts. “No,” she said. “You were fools to bring him here. We don’t know how mortals interact with this room. A conference room would’ve done.” Lup and Barry both showed different variations of embarrassed, Lup colored by a more dejected tone, with Barry a bright shade of scarlet. RQ would have to talk with Kravitz about this later. _Privately._

Angus could hear her, and hear the conversations happening outside through a garbled sound warp. Whether that was supposed to happen or not, he didn’t know. He looked out to his dad, now kneeling on the floor with a hand pressed up to the moving glass-like surface. Angus mimicked him, putting a much smaller hand up.

“W-we came to report about the entity, an' to ask permission for more assistance in its search,” Barry finally spoke. Kravitz stood, not moving his hand off of the bubble, but turning to face his queen. Time for Angus to act.

“Yes, well, I suppose the search would benefit from more hands…” She had a good thought that the entity was already… captured. But more security in general with this many people was good anyway. It was lying, but she had good intentions. “Yes, I will condone-- Kravitz,” she paused, looking at the bubble, “Did you know your son has good backwards penmanship?”

He’d gotten lots of compliments on his son before, but that one was new. In surprise, he looked down and behind him to find Angus writing the last of a note in marker on the inside of his bubble cell. In big black letters, it said “let me help!” The ‘e’s” were backwards.

Kravitz gawked at the writing, before collecting himself in front of his boss. “Honestly I didn’t but I’m not at all surprised.”

“Does he bring expo markers everywhere, too?” She smirked.

“One time I saw him pull out an entire microscope kit from that bag.”

Kravitz bent down to try to scold Angus through the sound proof bubble, hearing Barry mutter an ‘I’m so proud,’ as he knelt.

“Don’t bother Kravitz, he can’t hear you.” RQ called out.

As she finished the sentence, a look of challenged determination fell on the boy in the bubble, as he moved to write again. This time, scribbling out a ‘yes I can!’ The ‘e’ still backwards.

 _That’s impossible,_ she thought in disbelief, _That was one of my most powerful containment spells, and it wasn’t a misfire._ Could his magic potentially be so potent that it _surpassed_ even her 6th level magic? Every second near this boy was as intriguing as it was painful for her head. Oh, she had _so_ many questions for her reaper. The hard part now was how to tackle this next act, as an idea wormed her way into her head.

“Alright, I’ll let you out, Angus,” she said with a grin.

“Oh, no, my queen, you _really_ don’t have to indulge him-” and the bubble popped with a _bang_ , Kravitz screaming in surprise.

Immediately, the Raven Queen was hit with a wave of pain, this time steeled in preparation. It wasn’t as bad when she held a protection spell up, but strong nonetheless.

The boy detective smiled, finally free, and hugged his dad. Lup and Barry nervously shuffled over to them both, for the comfort of everyone involved.

“So,” the Raven Queen called from her throne, “you wanna help, Angus?”

He split into a wide grin. “Yeah! I bet I could find this thing-”

“Oh, no no, mm-mm, nope, nooooo no thank you.” Kravitz stood behind Angus now, hands resting on both the boys shoulders in the closest resemblance of a professional-setting hug possible. “Leave the hunting to the adults, buddy-”

“Oh no don’t worry about the powerful being, it’s been caught already.”

The room stared at her.

“Yyyyyep, just felt it. It’s gone.”

“... Wait, it’s just…” Barry made a _poof_ motion with his hands. “Gone?”

“Yes. there’s no longer any need for a search. You may continue your day. But Kravitz,” she stared at him, icy eyes pointed his way. “I’d like a word with you.”

Angus frowned, the whole debacle turned out disappointingly anticlimactic. He knew not to address aunt Raven unless asked, especially at her work, but he was at least glad everyone was safe…

“Barry, Lup, please watch over Angus while I have a word with his father. And Angus, dear,” He turned to look at the goddess. “I’m truly sorry about the bubble mix-up.”

He smiled. “That’s alright aunt Raven! You can never be too safe. I understand.”

She laughed. The Raven Queen was never called “aunt Raven” by anyone else besides this little boy. She… appreciated it immensely. Standing from her throne, she asked, “...Do I still get a hug?”

Angus giggled, practically running up the stone steps to hug the goddess. After a good squeeze, he lept down the stairs and skipped to Barry and Lup. He hugged Kravitz too, before finding Barry’s hand to hold. As the doors opened, he looked back at RQ. “Oh yeah! I love your floor by the way!”

“Thank you, Angus.” She smiled warmly.

“Bye, dad!”

Kravitz could only force a wave to him.

“Don’t worry Krav, we’ll keep him busy,” Lup added. “Hey kiddo, you wanna see the reaper lounge?”

“Oh would I!”

And the doors shut.

The room echoed in their absence.

“...Kravitz. I have some... questions.”

 

Oh, shit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RQ: "How do i get Istus to text me like Taako texts you?"  
> Krav: "Honestly sometimes he'll send me a booty call at 3 am while drunk, despite me sitting next to and being married to him. Are you looking for quality of the messages or an onslaught of them."  
> As always, catch me at https://boomjob.tumblr.com/ chat it up my dudes.
> 
> (also like, if u find any typos/inconsistencies feel free to message me? I was reading back and realized earlier i had accidentally switched the whole west/east wing thing, rip)


	7. Raven Queens theories!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 2/3 of the reaper squad show Angus their hang out spot while Kravitz practically has a nervous breakdown during his talk with the Queen. Everyone's having fun!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> on! time! fuck! yeah! 
> 
> Hey!! Check out emily-the-almighty's post on tumblr about this fic!! Its absolutely lovely and i suggest everyone read it <3  
>  http://emily-the-almighty.tumblr.com/post/170333553844/angus-has-a-nightmare-so-i-dont-uh-do-this-very

“...And then they found out the alien couldn’t handle the bacteria of the planet! It was so cool, Caleb used his knowledge of science to help solve the crime!”

“Man, he sounds pretty cool. Which book was that again?”

“‘Caleb Cleveland and the virulent virus!’ He didn’t even use anything magical in that case!”

“Impressive, wits can be just as strong as magic.” Barry smiled at Angus.

They made their way back to the main entryway, the crowd moving just as it had before their meeting. Nothing had really changed, as the entity had been taken care of without anyone's knowledge or notice. No mass panic with no monster. 

“Hey aunt Lup, can I, um, can I hold your hand, too?” He looked at his right hand clasped in Barry’s. “My hands are kind of cold…”

“Krav didn’t make you bring a pair of gloves? What was the bonehead thinking. Here, I got something better.” From her pockets she pulled out a pair of dark red mittens with black fuzz lining the inside. “Try these on instead. I use ‘em when it gets just a bit too nippy, myself.”

He took the mittens, immediately feeling warmth from them upon touch. “Are these enchanted?”

“Good catch kiddo, yeah, they hold a lil bit of Lup patented evocation magic.” Angus slipped them on. “The harder you squeeze them, the warmer they get.” Angus squeezed his fingers to the palm, feeling them heat much to his delight. “Don’t squeeze too hard though powerhouse, not sure if those suckers could pull the full Lup Special.”

He laughed, remembering the first time he used the umbra staff on the day of Story and Song. It felt like so long ago. Then again, it was about a full sixth of his young lifespan ago. 

“So, you ready to see the lounge?” Barry looked down, watching Angus press the mittens to his cheeks and ears. He perked up, glasses slightly fogged.

“Yeah! What do you guys keep in there? Extra scythes? Fancy robes?”

“We got a foosball table too, so that’s cool,” Lup snickered.

“...Does it have bean-bag chairs there?”

“ _ That _ we do have.” Barry laughed.

“Then I’m excited!” Angus skipped in his walk as they approached the west wing entrance of the reaper lounge.

“I mean, we keep some files in there, too. It’s technically one of the most secure rooms in HQ. They approached the end of a long hallway. Finally in front of the door, Angus paused.

“Wait, there’s… no door handle?”

“Yeah, you need the key.” With that, Lup extended her hand, her scythe appearing in a burst of light like flash paper.  _ Huh, different than dads.  _

Lup lightly dragged the tip of the blade down the door, not enough to slice a portal, but enough to activate the doors passcode entrance. With a  _ click _ as she reached the bottom, the door swung open.

Angus peered inside. The walls were decorated in framed newspaper clippings of famous criminals taken down, no credit officially given to the reapers. There were lockers with extra robes hanging, name plates above them. Around the outside walls were comfy chairs, including a space heater (bright white, so Angus guessed it was probably smuggled in.) Past the foosball table was a small sitting couch, with-

“Hey wait, who’re you?” Barry looked to the corner with the couches, where a mop of curly red hair poked above the back of the furniture.

Angus squinted, adjusting his glasses. The boy turned to look at them, and Angus recognized the face.

“...Archibald?” The kid from earlier?

“Angus you know this kid?” Lup still brandished her scythe, weakening her grip only when she saw his age. 

“How’d you get in here.” Barry didn’t ask it as a question, it was more of a demand for an answer. His hard look behind those glasses would have given anyone shivers on the receiving end. “Only reapers have access to this room.”

Archibald sat up, surprised. He turned fully, looking slightly nervous. “Uhh, my, um- David let me in. He had a meeting to go to.”

Angus heard papers shuffling where Archibald hid his hands. Just as quickly and quietly as he noticed the sound, it disappeared. As soon as it was quiet and the rustling stopped, the redhead seemed to gain confidence. Neither his aunt or uncle noticed.

“What, are you gonna kick me out? I don’t know where I would go.” Archibald spat. "And nice  _mittens,_ kid." Angus recoiled. How could one kid be so rude? It was awful. 

“No, I guess not…”

“Barry,  _ David  _ shouldn’t even be able to get in here. Why and  _ how _ would a  _ kid _ get here?”

Angus took a hard look at Archie as the boy watched the two adults talk. Noticing Angus staring, he smirked devilishly and stuck his tongue out. Pfft. Typical Suzy Seattle fan. All assholes.

“Well, I guess we have to wait with him in here.”

“I’m not a  _ baby,”  _ Archibald said, “I can handle myself.”

“You’re  _ also  _ a brat in the room we keep important files.”

“Lup…”

“Where’s David, tell him to come collect his visitor.”

Well, at least Angus knew he wasn’t alone in his opinion of the other 12 year old.

~~~~

Kravitz knew he would get chewed out, but to what extent was a mystery to him. He stood in the throne room of the Raven Queen, goddess of death and darkness, with palms sweaty and internally trembling. He was now overtly aware that his hair was still up in the way Angus designed it like a bow while still in his office, so he probably looked like a the worlds most nervous candlenights present. Things were not looking sunny.

“This morning,” the Raven Queen started, voice powerfully reverbing off the marble in the room, “I Identified a magical signature that I didn’t recognize,” Kravitz gulped. “...And instructed Barry to investigate. Can you then tell me why it is that a half hour later, your son comes into my throne room, brandishing the same magical signature to that just shy of a powerful god.”

“My Queen, I don’t-”

“Kravitz, before you begin. Nothing bad will come to your son. I would never harm him, I hope you know that.” She sat back in her throne. “You have my word.”

Kravitz, meanwhile, felt on the verge of collapsing. He hadn’t realized how much bottled fear he was holding, but as a trapped sigh wracked his body, he felt comfort in her words. RQ always kept a promise, like the promise of death at the end of life. Tears lightly pricked at his eyes, but he kept his composure.

“Raven.” He never called her ‘raven’ unless in the most comfortable situations, he hoped she recognized that. “Taako and I are both aware of his magic. He’s performed some spells no child his age should be capable of, but, on my word, we had no idea he was  _ that  _ strong.” He paused. “You’ve been around Angus before though, right? What changed, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Angus had never entered this plane. My best guess? I was unable to sense his power when I was in  _ his  _ realm. Though he’s powerful here, too. The bubble I surrounded him with-”

“Scared the shit out of me-”

“-Was a strong spell meant to be soundproof and impenetrable, yet he could hear us converse. I wouldn’t doubt he could have broken it as well if he had tried.” That threw Kravitz for a loop. Angus defeating the goddess in magic? He was lightheaded. 

He waited for her to continue, but she didn’t. Instead, RQ stared at him as he squirmed in her sights. “I’m sorry my Queen, was there another topic you wanted to discuss with me…?”

She took a deep breath. “...I have another theory regarding your sons magic. There’s a small chance…” She had to word this as to not scare him, “There’s a chance his magic comes from my domain-”

“I’m sorry, but I can  _ promise  _ that Angus has never colluded with a god for power-”

“No, not him directly, listen to me.” She didn’t want any interruptions during this tense situation. “Kravitz, did you ever actually  _ meet  _ Angus’s grandfather?”

“No, I… We, hadn’t… He disappeared…” Realization struck him hard and fast like a baseball bat to the temple. Oh he hated where this was going. 

“Th… My queen, you mean… The McDonald case?” He was such an idiot. His chest shook and he wanted nothing more than to sit down.

“I’m not saying anything, but the timing, and the power... That, plus any magical abilities Angus already harbored might have multiplied his magical output ten fold. The pieces add up, unfortunately.”

“I… I can’t…” His mouth felt dry.

“Kravitz, your son may already be destined to be a reaper.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> /pure/ bullshit on some of the magic stuff. This next part might kinda just be me playing d&d calvinball honestly? Damn it'll be fun tho i promise. (the trick is, if u go off dnd canon then nobody can search spoilers *insert pic of Griffin making the shush face* Sorry for the cliffhanger but it was almost 1.4k! Thought it was a good ending spot though, hope you agree!
> 
> Thank you everyone for the wonderful comments! As usual, hang out w/ me at https://boomjob.tumblr.com/ and see that fic on tumblr i posted in the top notes. See u in two days again :0


	8. A proposition!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kravitz can't believe his ears. His son...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slightly late, my b I'll take that one. Not gonna lie ive actually been bangin out the plot to this one and can i say? not to shabby. Not to like, put myself locked in place? but i think we're about a quarter of the way through! nice job kids group hug

“Kravitz it would be really cool if you didn’t die for a second time while I’m trying to talk to you.”

He didn’t hear her, he was too busy hyperventilating. 

“Kravitz I swear. Do I have to call Taako?”

He stood in the center of the room hugging himself instinctually, grasping for every detail he could remember about the McDonald case. Kravitz didn’t want to believe the connection… But if Angus really was, then…

“...It’s a miracle he’s even alive, Kravitz, think about that. We didn’t think the generations would  _ make  _ it that far, let alone if the spell would even work-”

“He doesn’t  _ deserve _ this, Raven!” She was silent at that. It’s not like she could really argue. Angus was absolutely the victim, here…

She leaned forward in her chair, elbows resting on her knees. “But rules are rules, Kravitz. And I know it might be hard to hear, but you have to tell him one day, even maybe if it’s not him. The potential is too great. Soon, preferably.”

“It was my  _ first case,  _ RQ. What are even the odds of that? Why… I don’t even-” He choked, sighing heavily between sputters.

“Would you change it, despite your mistakes?” she asked sharply. Her expression was hidden in  shadow, looking at the floor with her head down.

He stopped, desperately grinding his thoughts to a halt. “I-I beg-”

“Do you think if something had gone differently, you might not even  _ have  _ Angus? For any of it. How far does Angus go in your life with Taako?”

He wiped his eyes dry. Every story from the first interaction on the train. If his son hadn’t been there… Taako may have died. They all might have died. The Bureau of Balance work, the  _ fucking apocalypse battle… _

“I… hadn’t thought of it like that…”

“Just because he  _ gets to exist forever with you now,  _ mind you, doesn’t change him... Listen,” She shifted to stand, “Death has laws. As my reaper, I would hope you remember that.” She reached him, extending her hands for Kravitz to take. “I’m not being harsh... I’m being the goddess of death. Your son has faced countless challenges already. He’s talented, smart, charismatic...” She paused. “I can see no better candidate for the position by my side.” RQ smiled, hands outstretched to him. 

He was warmed by the compliments, yet the dull ache for his son remained. Smiling back, he stood straight and slid his hands to hers as they were both mutually comforted.

“Besides,” she broke the silence, “Can you imagine if you hadn’t messed up and actually reaped his, what, great-great-great grandmother?” She snickered, “I always knew your methods were unconventional for reapings, but sometimes I forget just how far back your dramatics go.” 

“You say ‘dramatic,’ I say ‘memorable.’” That caught her off guard, and she laughed. For a death goddess, his employer’s glow of laughter had a sense of ease stitched into it. It was pleasant. 

Her laughter wound down, and she finally released his hands. “That being said… I have a proposition for your son. Well, technically he’s a human minor, so really for you I guess.” She felt a twinge of guilt about this next part. God, she such a compulsive liar.

“Don’t accuse me of rushing him, but I’d like to see his field work. Maybe it’d be alright if you took him to a location and taught him how to, I don’t know…”

“Raven are you asking me to kill someone in front of my son?”

“Come on Kravitz, you make it sound so dark.”

“I’m known in most cultures as the  _ Grim _ reaper, it’s literally in the job description to not blow sunshine out of my ass.”

“...Snarky today, noted.” She snickered, sitting back in her throne. “Maybe a good tour of what it means to be a reaper? There was a bit of a side-necromancy case this morning of a group using rabbits. Just torn souls, couple little rips, they weren't “ _ good” _ necromancers, lets say. You can bring the rabbits back here to rehabilitation if they’re not doing too bad. Not even a real reaping! Groundwork, easy stuff,” she lied. “Report back once you help all of the victims.” If Angus really was as good of a detective as she knew, he would be useful for her entire establishment. The rabbits would be his first clue, hopefully the world’s greatest (and most powerful) detective could solve this cold case. It was essential to her work, but Kravitz didn’t need to know that.

Kravitz knew in the back of his head it would be beneficial to let him see. The middle held the part where he knew something bad might happen, but the front was where he thought about how much fun Angus would have catching little soul-torn bunnies to help them. He couldn’t argue with that… He wanted to, sure, but he couldn’t.

“That doesn’t sound too hard…”

“Would you like to call him back up here, or tell him downstairs?”

He thought for a second. “Is there a chance you could tell him his ‘special assignment’ to make it more real? We can get lunch after and I’ll make sure he washes up before we go.”

He was such a loving father, it was incredible to watch him care for someone so much. “Of course. You can call Lup or Barry to bring him up.”

Kravitz dug around for his stone of farspeech. Dialing Barry’s number, it patched through.

“Krav? What’s up? You still with Raven?” Barry spoke from the stone.

“Yeah, we’re good in here. Is there a chance you could bring Angus up?”

“Ah jeez, well I mean,  _ physically _ yes…”

“Barry, is everything alright?”

Barry looked to the other side of the foosball table where Angus stood aggressively spinning the rods while waiting for his opponent. “The thing is, Lup is gone and we have a small… situation in here.”

“Barry I’m going to ask again if everything’s alright.”

He sighed. Where he stood, he could see the little red headed boy sitting on the couch, lounging near the filing cabinets of important documents. His first instinct wasn’t to distrust the boy, but when you’re  _ that much  _ of an asshole at a first encounter with new people, things just seemed predictable.

“Listen, David left his plus one in here… somehow. Lup went to go find David, while Angus destroys me in foosball.  _ Granted, he’s a spinner.  _ Which is  _ cheating. _ ” Barry said the last line with more emphasis and leaned across the table smiling, to which Angus responded with slowly setting Barry’s score counter back to one, maintaining eye contact.

“You devil… anyway, I can’t bring David’s kid up there, and I can’t leave him alone  _ here…  _ so I’m stuck for the time being.”

“Oh, I can go myself! I remember the way!” Angus jumped at the chance, forgetting the foosball.

Barry was hesitant, but to a degree it wasn’t his decision to make. “Krav, you hear him?”

“Yeah I heard. Angus-“

“I remember the way!”

“No, Angus, I’ll come down-“

“It’s totally fine! We’re in the West wing, right? Make it to the main room, up the stairs- wait do I need the pin code again?”

The stone was quiet. “No, the pin code was for guests one time use. It’s so anybody can get in today if they need, there’s only one pin today.” Archibald sat up. “You… could make it up here. Think you can?”

“Yes!” He didn’t want to make his dad come all the way downstairs, and it felt good to help out.

“Okay… I’m trusting you. The pin is 2020”

“Thanks! I’ll be right up!” Quickly, he hugged Barry and lugged his backpack on, scampering out the door. Quickly, Angus was gone.

“You alright for now down there Barry?” 

He glanced at the kid he was now babysitting. “Yeah, yeah I’m good.”

“Great. Okay, talk to you later.” With a  _ click _ , the only two left were Barry and Archie. The room was big, with only the space heater whirring in the corner to fill the awkward silence.

“So… you, uh, you like foosball?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Archie: "dont fuckin talk to me"  
> Barry: "understandable have a nice day"


	9. Butterbur for headaches!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lup helps Angus get past the door, but what awaits the boy once he makes it back upstairs?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooooooooKAY a lil bit late, but i think im gonna make an actual schedule for this instead of crazy, off the cuff every two days cuz thats nuts. So! TYAtWD is gonna update Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays from now one! This one will count as the first Wednesday update, *smashes bottle of wine on this new update ship, Set sail for scheduled Ango!

This was his time to shine. He might not have gotten the reaction he was looking for from his aunt at first, but this time,  _ this  _ time, he’ll give his pitch for helping. He didn’t know what he’d help with, but he sure as hell wanted to! 

While listening to people, Angus learned for years how to really  _ really  _ hear them. Aunt Raven seemed to brush off the danger too quickly, it was way too suspicious! Something was bugging her, and he wanted to help. Nobody could fool the world’s greatest detective  _ that  _ easily!

He was so absorbed in his thoughts he almost skipped right into Lup. She yelped and dodged the kid right before flattening him, arms flailing wildly in shock as she danced a side step. Finally gaining balance after practically tripping in place, she looked back to see who this particular boy was. “Angus? Whoa there scamp, where’re you runnin’ to?”

“Huh?” He hadn’t even noticed how fast he was going, backpack bouncing as his wand waved listlessly. “Oh! Dad let me walk back upstairs on my own, since uncle Barry couldn’t leave Archibald on his own. He was gonna wait for you, actually, but I told them I could make it!”

She knit her brows and looked down at the boy, hands on her hips. “...You know the new pincode?”

Uh oh. “...It’s not 2020?”

“That was the  _ last  _ pincode, they change on the hour for open days now. Kravitz didn’t tell you it was the new security protocol after last year?” She crossed her arms.

“...Hm, nope. I didn’t come last year, what happened?”

“Long story. Anyway, since I couldn’t find David and Barry is a big boy that can stay alone for five more minutes, I might as well help you with the new code.” She started walking, Angus trotting by her side, black suit almost matching hers. 

“You wanna come see aunt Raven with me?”

“Nah, I’ve... got my fill of her for now. I’ll just walk with you.”

“Cool.” 

They walked in silence for a few seconds, before Lup’s face scrunched up. “Wait, hold on, if you call RQ ‘aunt Raven’ wouldn’t that make her your dad’s… sister?”

“Dad and ada talked about this for a good week when I was adopted. It was very much a point of contention,” he deadpanned.

Lup laughed. “Just like Taako to make a mountain out of a molehill.”

“Actually, it was dad. He wanted me to call her ‘nana.’”

Lup spat like she was punched in the gut, keeling over to howl with laughter as she brought her scythe pole up at the last second to balance herself. She wheezed and unbuttoned her suit jacket to breathe better, while Angus giggled at the concept of calling the death goddess a grandmother pet name. 

As Lup collected herself, they continued to poke fun at small things between the two people they jointly shared the most time with. Lup made comments about Taako as a kid (the inside scoop stories were always Angus’s favorites), and Angus shares harmless tidbits of her coworkers home life. Passing by through the now familiar grand entry room with the cloud ceiling, they made their way to the boring door.

They stopped together at the drab, dark grey janitorial-esque door. Lup side-eyed Angus, slowly putting in the code. “So the passcode this time is 0101. Tell Krav when you get up there cuz he might’ve forgotten.”

She punched the last number and the door swung open, revealing the stairs going up to the next floor. Angus beamed. “Thanks fruit Lup!” 

“No sweat, mcnugget.” He gave her a quick hug she bent down for, and scampered up the stairs. Lup was about to close the door for him, when she heard a quiet  _ whoops!  _ from a quarter way up the dark stairs, and a magical force slammed the door shut, surprising the shit out of her.

...Huh.

 

Kravitz stood in the throne room still, watching the floor swirl as he chatted lightly with his boss about muffin recipes. As they were about to debate the definition of a cupcake, a light knock sounded from the door. Through grit teeth, Kravitz noticed, the Raven Queen permitted the guests entrance, gripping her temple.

Slowly, the heavy door opened, and it was silent, with a few inches of space, quietly sitting there and no one entering. Then, slowly, a hand holding a small familiar star-tipped wand stuck through.   
“I-It’s me, I made it…” 

RQ, as usual, was amused by the boy, despite her head pounding with every time he waved that wand. Nevertheless, it was impossible to not chuckle at his antics. “Yes Angus, I am aware now. You may enter, my boy.”

Said boy pushed the rest of the tall door open, scraping along the solidified glass-like cloud surface, and scanned the room. Finding his dad, he smiled and jogged to the same spot, looking quickly to mimic Kravitz’s strong, tall stance when in front of the raven queen. 

“Hello again aunt Raven.” He smiled respectfully. Glancing at his dad from behind his low, round glasses, he chanced a question. “Are you feeling any better?”

She was disoriented, and the question didn’t help clear her head, but it forced her to focus as she used a different reinforcement spell in the hopes it blocked his magic better. “I’m sorry, I can’t say I was feeling under the weather-”

“Then how’s your head?”

“Angus,” Kravitz quickly chastised, “you know better than to interrupt people…”

“No, Kravitz, I’m interested.” She moved her hand away, instead choosing to casually lean on the arm of her throne. “Had you noticed, Angus, that my head had been hurting before you saw me holding it just now?”

“As soon as the bubble popped I saw. I considered it may have been a migraine and the loud noise upset you, have you thought of using butterbur? The dark room helps, as a start.” He looked like he could have more, but Kravitz would start to form a puddle of sweat around him if she didn’t step in to stop the next hypothetically inevitable question, ‘why does your head hurt?’

“Butterbur sounds like a great solution. I’ll have to look into it. In fact, I may…” She stood slowly, “...Ask  _ you _ to get it, while on your junior reaper mission, should you accept.”

He stopped, looking up slack jawed at the tall death goddess. Completely dumbstruck. She towered above him, hair shimmering beautifully as she spoke, and Angus thought of her for the first time as one of the nicest people he knew. 

He was so awestruck, his wand slipped, finger by finger, from his hand. His eyes sparkled as RQ watched the powerful and cute weapon descend, bracing herself for the worst.

An adult hand wrapped around it at the last second, as Kravitz whipped his hand down to catch it from his sons loose grip. He stood tall, watching Angus stare at the Raven Queen in dazzled shock.

He did it. He didn’t even have to ask! He didn’t even have to ask to help, she  _ wanted  _ him to! And it was cuz he detectived so good! Possibly. Wait, did she have it planned out? How long? What was he-

A small, familiar wand waved in front of his face like a metronome before Angus came to his senses. He peered cross-eyed at the wand before he split into a wide grin. Swiping the wand, pulling his arms close, and lightly stomping on the ground like he did that morning in the kitchen, he wound himself up in excitement. 

“Angus, would you-”

“Yes!!” He threw his hands skyward with eyes squeezed shut, smiling with the brilliance of the sun. But he, unfortunately, missed the strong arc of lightning that shot from his wand tip pointed in the air, red, bright, and eerily silent. Oh, Raven Queen was ready to do the goddess equivalent of passing out from head pain. 

Angus noticed her struggling finally, after his celebration. Gasping he said, “Butterbur! Oh, wait, I don’t know what the actual mission is yet!” Angus stood at attention, arms pinned and determination on his face like war paint. She looked at him through stars in her eyes, three pints of a person holding gallons of magic, gallons of charisma, and an ocean of potential.

“How can I help, miss aunt Raven Queen?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Taako and Krav probably gave him that wand so he didnt blow his damn head off with accidental magics, what good, secretive dads. Again im sorry there isnt much focus on like, actual dnd? Theres gonna be a lot of liberties, I wont lie.
> 
> EDIT: Whoops I accidentally posted the unedited cut for a second there, my bad!
> 
> As always, catch me on tumblr! https://boomjob.tumblr.com/


	10. Your mission is this!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angus, your task is simple, should you choose to accept this mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am but a simple functional bi that finishes fic chapters 20 minutes before she's supposed to leave for a place. Anyway! Chapter 10! the big double digit milestone! Enjoy! or dont. I gotta go tho, bye!

Angus was not to be underestimates, the Raven Queen learned that a long time ago. He’d been indirectly helping her catch and find criminals of life for years now, working with officials, and using his incredible knowledge and intellect to find them. In turn, they’d been easy to reap once they were found. 

But this case… This one would be a lot. Of course, he had to  _ get _ there first.

“You’ll be going to a town to see with your father some of the basics of reaping. Hopefully this will be a good learning experience…”  _ for your future, “ _ ...to fully understand the deeply important work the reapers partake in.”

Angus looked ready to explode in a shower of sparkles. He asked a little louder than intended, “So what’s the job?”

“The case-“ Angus gasped. “Is that of a peculiar patch of woods, where animals, specifically rabbits, continue to be found with their souls torn or ripped. Though the reason is  _ of unknown origins… _ We have a duty to protect them from an undeserved early death.” She was, technically, manipulating him. It felt dirty, but she knew Angus would be safe from danger regardless. She just needed to hook him in, and words like ‘case’ and ‘unknown origins’ were sure to grab the mind.

RQ could already see the gears in his head turning. “You’ll be going to this town to help collect these rabbits, and bring them back here to the rehabilitation center where they will receive the care they need before returning to the prime material plane. Please, take a break for lunch and report back here once you both are ready.”

“Thank you my queen,” Kravitz answered with a bow. “Angus, do you have something to say?”

Angus was pulled from his thoughts, blinking rapidly as he reconnected with the world. “O-oh, yes! Thank you, aunt Raven!” He clumsily bowed from the hips like a stage performer, dipping too quickly and using his hand to balance himself from falling.

RQ was a stoic goddess, she told herself as she laughed behind her hand.

“Show him to the canteen, Kravitz. Reconvene here once you are both prepared.”

“Thank you. Angus, why don’t we call aunt Lup and uncle Barry to eat with us? It’s not very late in the day, but maybe they’d enjoy the company.” Kravitz slouched from his rigid posture once they had finished the formalities, whipping his stone of farspeech from his side like a pocket watch.

“Oh! Aunt Lup wanted me to tell you something! She said to remind you about the lock pin changing every hour as per protocol.”

“They change the pin?” Kravitz side glanced at the Raven Queen, still atop her throne.

“Kravitz, did you not receive the memo?”

“I’m afraid I didn’t, no. Well, good to know anyway.” His stone of farspeech dialed Barry’s number again, since he was the-

“Oh also, Lup couldn’t find David so she went back to Barry watching Archie.”

Scratch that, he would call Lup instead, for both the invitation and a thank you. The stone dialed and rang, before a gravely noise came through.

“Krav? Hey bud how’s it hangin? Did Angus make it up alright?”

“Yes, he’s here with me and the Raven Queen now. I wanted to thank you for the information regarding-“

A soft  _ click  _ and his voice had been muted. There was no sound from the stone nor was any going through, but it was still lit with energy on the inside to show the call hadn’t been dropped. Then, as rapidly as it had shut off, Lup called back through, “Kravitz maybe don’t discuss something so important like a PIN number when I’m in the room with other people. That’s  _ classified information,  _ my dude.”

Lup stood in the reaper lounge, watching Archie across the room flip through a book he grabbed from his bag. Barry turned a bright shade of pink for some reason but she ignored it.

Kravitz gulped. “T-that’s, very responsible of you, Lup. Nice job…”

“Anyway, what’s the call for?”

“Oh! Yeah. Angus and I are heading down for an early lunch. Would you two be willing to join us?”

“Krav it’s only like, what, 9:45 ish? Babe, what time is it?”

Kravitz heard Barry from the other side of the room, slightly muffled from the distance, “it’s actually 10:13 am now.”

“Damn, still don’t have the knack on understanding time in here. Well, we’d love to come, but-“

“Wow would you look at that, I  _ just  _ remembered where David went. I’m gonna go now to see him. Bye.” Archie flowed in a smooth motion from the couch and around the tables, before pulling the door open with a twirl and a soft  _ click  _ behind him. The two reapers sat in stunned silence, staring at the exit.

“...Did Archibald just leave…?” Angus piped up through Kravitz’s stone.

They didn’t really even have time to question him. “...Yeah… he just left.” Barry stood now, eyes still stuck on the door. He’d sat with this little shit for longer than he would have liked to admit, and the kid could have walked out at any time?

Lup gaped. She couldn’t find David  _ anywhere,  _ and she searched every nook and cranny. If that kid could find him even knowing where he was, she’d be both impressed and heavily annoyed. Lup spoke, snapping her head up and finally slicing through the tension. she said, “Well I’m not goin’ after him, so we’re free for food now. Meet you in the cafeteria?”

“...Sounds good, sure. See you then.”

And with that, the line went quiet.

“Was that about the boy Archibald?”

“Yes my queen, have you met him?”

“No, not personally, but I can’t say I’m not glad that he’s left the room where we store important documents.”

Angus held that comment, and stored it away in his mind.

“So, we should get going.thank you my queen, we’ll be back soon.”

“Bye aunt Raven…” Angus called as they walked out the door.

But something about his demeanor was serious, unlike his usual childlike excitement. Though the Raven Queen has only looked to him to solve one mystery, it seemed she was getting a two for one deal, despite not knowing her second gift.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RQ to herself: Kravitz tell ur fuckin son to stop hiding secrets about my head quarters, he could theoretically kill us all
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	11. (Almost) Catastrophe!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kravitz has the reflexes of something with good reflexes, and Angus is really good with magic, more at 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of talk of soul-tearing! Just gonna come out and say yes, this one is a few hours late technically and im terribly sorry about that. But on a different note, there is no real focus on canon magic in this, just keep that in mind. I'll try to use real spells, but i will bend the rest like putty in my hands.

“...Angus? Did you hear me?”

“Huh?”

“Your glasses are slipping.” Kravitz smiled at the boy, hearing his shoes tapping down the stairs and his bag zippers jingling with the movement. His black suit was still pristine, even if his red bowtie was coming a little loose. Gold rimmed round glasses perched on his nose, reflecting the deep thought in his son’s eyes. 

“Something on your mind?” he asked. Kravitz knew there was almost always something on Angus’s mind. If he ever sat idle he was either sick or hurt, or secretly reading (without him), another chapter of the books they read together. He loved to know what was happening so he could watch his fathers reactions to the juicy parts. 

But Angus plodded down the long stairs, eyebrows scrunched and mouth frowning lightly. “Hey dad?” he said, missing Kravitz's initial question

“Yes?”

“What does having your soul ripped mean?”

“Well,” he started, “Usually, it means there was someone trying to use a soul for necromantic purposes. It can get… Very sad, sometimes, but when the soul is just torn, it means the ritual either failed, or they only meant to take a small piece of the soul.”

Angus’s eyes flickered, searching his mind for connections. “Why would someone only want a piece? Doesn’t the whole soul intact work, um, ‘better?’” He put air quotes around ‘better.’

“Sometimes, necromancers only need a piece of something to fuel another. It only takes a spark to start the fire, in certain cases. If they know what they’re doing, it might be all they need.” He paused. “In rare cases…” Angus pulled his focus back up from his thoughts. “The necromancer feels a bit of humanity. The victim will survive having only a small piece of their soul pulled, and if you need a large soul, even if its painstaking and time consuming... you can get a full soul equivalent from just a few bits.”

“So why do we have to help the rabbits if they’re fine?”

“Well, along with shortening their lifespan, it tends to make the victim more inclined to bouts of bad luck.”

“Why?”

“It’s like, hm.” He thought for a way to properly convey this concept. “It’s like when you get sick. Bacteria get past your immune system, and in turn, you get a runny nose. With soul rips, you have the tear, then you get bad luck.”

“Like action and reaction?”

“Exactly.”

He went quiet for a second, hand perched under his chin and glaring into space. Kravitz turned back to his own pace on the stairwell. They continued down for a good while when to his side, Angus yelped as Kravitz watched him pitch forward.

A hand planted on his chest, Kravitz quick as fatherly lightening stopped him from the worst. Angus hung at a 45 degree angle staring down at the stairs with Kravitz holding him confidently.  They watched the glasses vault from Angus’s nose at the abrupt stop, both braced there with hearts racing. 

Kravitz saw from his vantage as the glasses gradually fell, cascading down the stairs. Seconds before impact, a flash of yellow caught his eyes and Kravitz watched Angus hold his wand out from his far side. Extending his arm at the last second, a spark of magic pulsed in the wand and shot towards his specs, and Kravitz held his breath.

The glasses stopped in mid air. Hovering in place, they were a foot from destruction when the yellow light hit them, defying gravity, stuck in the time right before potentially shattering.

Kravitz was speechless, his tongue dry. “Now which spell was that?” he asked, still holding Angus with one strong hand, not turning to look at him.

“...Levitate, I think.”

That threw him for a curveball. Kravitz pushed Angus back up to his feet before he could drop him in shock. “...You “think?’”

He stood on his own now, staring at his wand. “...Yeah, I just, told it to stop?”

Kravitz blinked. He knew that wasn’t normal. Not usually normal, that is. But this was Angus, and he was his father. So he did what any good dad would do.

“Wow, great job!” He smiled encouragingly.

Angus stared at Kravitz, gripping the wand tightly. Angus struggled internally, he definitely hadn’t missed the shock on his father’s face. That was how he always did magic, it just… came to him easily. He had never questioned it before now.

But then he looked back to his dad, warm smile showing his dimples. It was a  _ good _ thing. After all, he’d saved his glasses.

Angus broke into a wide grin, gripping his backpack straps. “Thank you!”

“Here, you probably can’t see, let me grab those.” Kravitz stepped down the few steps the glasses had hurdled over, plucking them from their spot above the stairs. He climbed back to Angus and knelt down in front of him where he could see. “Here, let’s see if your spell was what you thought.” As Angus squinted in front of him, he watched Kravitz hold the glasses above in a raised hand with an empty one below it. Glancing at him for a second, Kravitz let go of the glasses.

They hung in the air, stuck in space until Kravitz pushed them with a finger towards the boy detectives face. “A perfect levitate.” Angus only smiled wider.

He finally placed them back on his face clunkily, having to slightly push them along with his face until the spell wore off. A small price to pay instead of broken glasses. 

“Are you tired from the stairs, kiddo?” Kravitz found his sons enjoyment infectious as he smiled along with him,

“Only a lil bit,” Angus admitted, smirking.

“C’mere.” In a swift motion, Kravitz propped him up on his shoulders, Angus laughing the whole way up. He plopped up on his dad’s shoulders and Kravitz was ready to walk back down, when he heard Angus go quiet for a second before bursting into heavy laughter.

“Dad! Dad, oh my- Look! Look look! My glasses, my-” he didn’t finish the thought as he pealed into renewed howling.

“What? What? I can’t look up without you falling, what is it?” Kravitz let his own laughter escape, feeling his son shake on his shoulders.

As a joke, Kravitz leaned back and Angus screeched with laughter as he gripped his dad’s forehead and wrapped his legs tightly. Kravitz laughed too, before he caught sight of Angus’s glasses suspended mid air where he’d been the at the highest point.

“Look! They slipped off my head!”

Kravitz could only chuckle. “Got any spells you can think of to make them come down?”

 

“What took you guys so long?”

Angus giggled. “Lots of stairs.”

“Fair.” Lup sat back in her cafeteria chair, wobbling slightly as it precariously leaned back with her foot propped lazily against the table. Kravitz was a little way behind him, choosing to keep his reputable chilling saunter instead of skipping like his son.

Angus jogged over to the table, quickly tugging at his uncle's sleeve before his father could catch up and notice.

Barry was surprised by the boys speed, but nevertheless complied, leaning an ear towards where Angus had already cupped his hands around his mouth.

“I have some questions to ask about necromancy... secretly. Is that okay?”

Barry pulled away, giving the boy a skeptical look. Giving a once over, he saw the genuine curiosity and sighed.

He didn’t like it, but Angus must have had a good reason for asking. He nodded, watching the boy smile and hug him.

It was a good thing he was nice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so i may have gotten a little carried away with the stairs scene, but it properly conveyed what i had been planning on adding in a good way? 
> 
> BUT! It's now my plug as usual to say that nothing is filler, take it allllll in :griffins_youknow_smile: 
> 
> As always, catch me hanging on tungl.hell at https://boomjob.tumblr.com/  
> Got a burning question about the fic? Send that shit in i crave it 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
